Living under a patriotism spell

The resurgence of the opposition in 1999 in Zimbabwe was an express confrontation to Zanu PF’s genuine but incompatible wish of creating a ‘single party state’. I say incompatible because they were wishing on a Tsarist star when sleeping in a country birthed on a bedrock of multi-faceted democracy.  

The only effective escape for Zanu PF was to stir up an un-nationalistic (unpatriotic) cloud around the word ‘opposition’ in the country. As territorial beings, patriotism and a deep sense of belonging are at the core of our everyday lives; that is the reason why the spell that was long cast on opposition politics in Zimbabwe still haunts it today.

Without understating the inherent weaknesses that we have all seen over the years in the opposition parties, the label of ‘puppet’ has taken the heavier toll on any voice that has tried to challenge the status quo.

The person of Tsvangirai as the political superman interface at the dawn of MDC was heavily targeted by this Zanu PF strategy compounded by personal and party circumstances. It made him and many times the MDC political punching bags and even a launch pad for many political careers.

Recently we have noted that a common hatred of Tsvangirai can form new political parties, renewal movements and even ‘grand coalitions’. That has only been fortified by a steadfast voice from the ruling party to question the commitment of the opposition leader and his dedication to the national cause.

The expulsion of Elton Mangoma from the Renewal outfit and the instant subsequent formation of his own party says a very profound verdict on his and Tendai Biti’s actions when they left the MDC-T. Their convergence was of common hatred rather than common good; to them Tsvangirai had to be on the unpatriotic (selling out on the struggle to democracy) side so as to lay him perfectly as their launch pad.

The current fragmentations in the Sekesai Holland led Renewal bare opens the tentacles of the Zanu PF mantras infiltrating and the app being downloaded even amongst those on whom they were targeted in the first place.

The continued insistence by Professor Welshman Ncube that a ‘grand coalition’ can only be possible without Tsvangirai shows just how much Zanu Pf has remodelled political opinion and stances in the country. This remodelling is obviously making it difficult even for any Zanu PF defector to approach and work with the same people that they used to call unpatriotic and sellouts.

Today we stand as a well-developed but perfectly divided people pushing for a common cause in opposite direction. Yes, it sounds meaningless but meaningful! The raison detre only being a continuous patriotism burden imposed on us and with time we have committed ourselves to.

Anyone coming up as a potential leader will have to go under extensive public scrutiny of ‘who sent you?’, ‘what do you say about the white man?’ Most of these questions however are most likely to be answered on one’s behalf by a single headline in the Herald newspaper.

Zanu PF has psychologically monopolised nationalism, the only loud voice which doesn’t invite aggressive consequences is that of pledging allegiance to it. Any act of violence in the country is still easily justified as long as the reason is channelled towards stamping out sellouts and defending national sovereignty.

The consequences have taken a sterner grip over the years, from a macro political scale to the economy of the country and each and everyone’s personal lives. In our time and unfortunately in the 21^st century we have experienced totalitarianism, it has defaced the crucial national fabric that was supposed to keep us together in our struggle for posterity and uplift our country.

Just like under many regimes in old Soviet Russia, China, Hitler’s Germany etc, in Zimbabwe we may unfortunately have to wait until Zanu Pf itself lets go on the patriotism monopoly. Factionalism and internal voices of antagonism are the only hope that is conceivable for seeing Zimbabweans released of the bondage that we are in today.

This does not however rule out a perfect collective strategy by the opposition but the here and now shows that the archaic Zanu Pf dream of one party state is still alive under their ‘Supreme Leader’ Mugabe.